Light that never goes out: The Smiths' 1986 album The Queen Is Dead has been voted the top album of all time.

The greatest album of all time is indie-rock miserablists The Smiths' 1986 opus The Queen Is Dead – or so have decreed 82 writers past and present of Brit music-magazine institution New Musical Express (NME), who voted in a poll to ascertain their all-time top 500.

Perhaps needless to say, The Queen Is Dead topping the survey is a contentious result – for many fans it's not even the best Smiths album. Even its producer, Stephen Street, while tweeting that he was "very chuffed" to see it at No.1, notably added the hashtag #wrongthough.

It is not the only controversial choice in the top 10. While the expected, venerable likes of the Beatles, David Bowie and the Velvet Underground are in there, so, too, are albums by Britpop favourites Oasis, the Stone Roses and Pulp, as well as the most recent entry in the poll's upper reaches, 2001's Is This It by New Yorkers the Strokes. All are classics to many, but are they really superior to such past list favourites as Radiohead's OK Computer (No.20), the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds (No.26) and Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (a particularly lowly No.132)?

NME's top 10 albums of all time

No. 1: The Queen is Dead, The Smiths.

The highest-placed album by an Australian artist, meanwhile, is AC/DC's Back in Black, at No.197. Other notable (and in some instances fan-baiting) placings include Patti Smith's Horses at No.12 (the best result for a female artist), Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back at No.17 (the highest position for a hip-hop act) and Exile on Main St at No.24, Blood on the Tracks at No.36 and Innervisions at No.42 – apparently the best the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder could do respectively.

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In the introduction to the list, NME makes no apologies about the results, whose secondary purpose to stimulate debate will no doubt succeed. For those doubting the high inclusion of some of the younger acts, the magazine notes, "True artists are out to be lauded alongside their heroes, for achievements that match the greatest in rock'n'roll history."

Whether they do or not is up to fans to discuss. So, over to you ...

The full list is available in this week's edition of NME, dated October 26.

NME's top 25 albums of all time

1. The Smiths – The Queen Is Dead

2. The Beatles – Revolver

3. David Bowie – Hunky Dory

4. The Strokes – Is This It

5. The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground

6. Pulp – Different Class

7. The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses

8. Pixies – Doolittle

9. The Beatles – The Beatles (White Album)

10. Oasis – Definitely Maybe

11. Nirvana – Nevermind

12. Patti Smith – Horses

13. Arcade Fire – Funeral

14. David Bowie – Low

15. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

16. Joy Division – Closer

17. Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back

18. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless

19. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

20. Radiohead – OK Computer

21. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

22. Blur – Parklife

23. David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

24. The Rolling Stones – Exile on Main St

25. Marvin Gaye – What's Going On

Poll: What is the greatest album of all time?

Poll form

Please select an answer.The Queen is Dead - The Smiths

Revolver - The Beatles

Hunky Dory - David Bowie

Is This Is - The Strokes

The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground and Nico

Different Class - Pulp

The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses

Doolittle - Pixies

The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles

Definitely Maybe - Oasis

Nevermind - Nirvana

Horses - Patti Smith

Funeral - Arcade Fire

Low - David Bowie

Let England Shake - PJ Harvey

Closer - Joy Division

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back - Public Enemy

Loveless - My Bloody Valentine

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys

OK Computer - Radiohead

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

Parklife - Blur

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - David Bowie

These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinion only of visitors who have chosen to participate.

578 comments

Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Commenter

Leopard II

Location

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 2:47PM

yes!

Commenter

sammy

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Date and time

October 24, 2013, 3:24PM

Yes! Michael Jackson is multi plat. more than any of the above.

Commenter

The Other Guy1

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Date and time

October 24, 2013, 3:27PM

Aren't we confusing Top Albums, with top selling albums here?

Commenter

AJ

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Adelaide

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 3:52PM

What about the "Here's Humphrey" album released in the 70's? Never has a children's television show been more beautifully recorded for posterity. The ignoring of Patsy Biscoe's dulcet tones is criminal. CRIMINAL, I tells ya!

Commenter

Sandy

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TV land

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 4:01PM

Amazing album.

Commenter

Peony

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Date and time

October 24, 2013, 4:01PM

Michael Jackson? Hilarious

Commenter

vitas

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Date and time

October 24, 2013, 4:16PM

"In On the Kill Taker" by Fugazi would have to be up there.

Commenter

Bilby

Location

Melbourne

Date and time

October 24, 2013, 4:19PM

Joni Mitchell Court and Spark. Original compositions - beautifully performed and recorded - breakthrough in music style and lyric content. Ms. Mitchell at the peak of her power.